The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 21, July 1917 - April, 1918 Page: 225
434 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Government of Austin's Colony, 1821-1881
and Santander, and one for Texas. The Texas delegate was Am-
brosio Maria de Aldasoro, a merchant of Monterey. The com-
mandant general presided over the deputation, and the intendent
was a member, but was not present.'
The provincial deputation was a creation of the Constitution
of 1812 (articles 324-37). Its duty was declared to be, in gen-
eral, to promote the prosperity of the province. More in detail,
it was to apportion and approve the levy of local taxes; establish
ayuntamientos according to law; take the census; encourage the
education of the young; and to promote agriculture, industry, and
commerce. It sessions were limited to ninety days during the
year, and half the members retired annually." It was to, this body
that Arredondo referred Moses Austin's application for a permit
to introduce three hundred families into Texas; and on January
17, 1821, it recommended that the petition be approved.
2. Early Local Government in Austin's Colony
(1) Powers granted to Stephen F. Austin.-In August, 1821,
after the death of Moses Austin, Martinez recognized Stephen F.
Austin as his father's successor, authorized him to explore the
country and select the region which he wished to colonize, and
approved the terms which he proposed for the distribution of
land to settlers.9 Since the region selected by Austin would be
a wilderness, uninhabited and without political organization, and
since he himself would have no means of extending administra-
tion to it at once, the Governor made it plain that, for a time,
Austin must be responsible for the local government. "You will
cause them all [the colonists] to understand that until the gov-
ernment organizes the authority which is to govern them and ad-
minister justice, they must be governed by and subordinate to
you.'" o Early in 1822 Austin found it necessary to, visit the City
of Mexico to get a confirmation of his permit, and the imperial
'An Aviso, or printed notice, issued by the electoral junta on 'October
3. Bexar Archives.
sDublan and Lozano, Legislacion Memicana, I, 375-376.
'Martinez to Austin, August 14, 1821, in Wooten, editor, A Compre-
hensive History of Texas, I, 472; same to same, August 19, Records of
the General Land Office, Vol. 54, p. 68.
10Same to same, August 24, 1821, in A Comprehensive History of Texas,
I, 472.225
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 21, July 1917 - April, 1918, periodical, 1918; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101073/m1/231/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.